GPS accuracy? (Read 1515 times)

Wing, one other decision factor is whether or not you intend to continue carrying a cellphone on your runs. I don't, but I know lots of people who absolutely MUST. If you're already going to be toting that device and the minor positional error is within your tolerance ... do you really need a second device?

"I want you to pray as if everything depends on it, but I want you to prepare yourself as if everything depends on you."

Thank you, MM. Now if only I could write a script to automatically post it anytime the words "GPS", "accuracy" and/or "error" pop up in a subject line. Then I would never actually have to read any of the forums again.

On your deathbed, you won't wish that you'd spent more time at the office. But you will wish that you'd spent more time running. Because if you had, you wouldn't be on your deathbed.

This is why GPS is not used to certify race courses and it's silly when people say "the race was mis-measured because my GPS recorded 26.4 miles for this marathon". - spaniel

In spite of the fact that you might think that my running co-workers should know better, I hear this kind of thing all the time and I am COMPELLED by the spirit of truth and justice within me to correct them. They say things like, "Well, my official time in that half marathon was 1:31:12, but I really ran about a 1:30:30 because the course was really 13.23." And I tell them something like, "No, you bonehead, I'm sorry to inform you that you did not, in fact, run that fast." Two guys I work with, both of whom are also pretty fast, told me these kinds of tales just within the last two weeks.... well, the course was long, so I was probably a little faster than my time. No! It is possible the course was long, but don't trust GPS to tell you that!

I made a course for a 5K once and measured it with a wheel so I know it was accurate. The race went off no problem, but all the weenies wearing their GPS watches were complaining that the course was off. I asked 10 guys what they all had and they all had different distances.

At that point, I asked them, well, if all of you have different readings, why should I believe any of you.

So, when I run a 5K on a course that advertises to be certified, and my watches reads exactly 3.1 miles, should I be suspicious? This has happened a couple times already. Just one of those things that makes me go hmmm...

So, when I run a 5K on a course that advertises to be certified, and my watches reads exactly 3.1 miles, should I be suspicious? This has happened a couple times already. Just one of those things that makes me go hmmm...

Congratulations. Your GPS is perfect.

In the case I'm talking about, there were 10 GPS devices. 10 different readings. Which one was right? Why should I have believed any of them?